Is there any data available on the hit probability of long range ~ 150km, Air to Air missiles ?
No, There is no problem. R77 (RVV-AE) which its replacing have similar range. It's very unreliable and even the Russians don't operate it in numbers. Our russian platforms depend more on Ukrainian R-27 now. Astra is multiple times better what its replacing.
India Needs To Acquire New Quick-reaction Air Defense Missile System - Defenceaviationpost.com
According to the India Today newspaper website, Indian army looks to acquire a new air defense systems offering better performances than foreign products. The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) of India has accepted to develop a new type of air defense missile system.
The Indian army would like to acquire new missile systems to equip eight regiments of Quick Reaction-Surface to Air Missiles. According to the needs of the army, the new missile should have the ability to destroy aerial target at a maximum range of 20 km. The goal of the Indian Army is to replace the old Soviet-made SA-8 OSA-AK which was developed 40 years ago.
The SA-8 is a Soviet-made mobile air defense using a 6×6 truck chassis designated BAZ-5937. SA-8 Gecko is armed with 6 missiles ready to fire, mounted on the roof of the vehicle. Missile is tracked by radio-command guiding system. Engagement range for the SA-8 Gecko missile is approximately 2–9 km and engagement altitudes of between 50–5000 m. The 9M33M2 “Osa-A” missile extends the ranges out to 1,500 – 10,000m and engagement altitudes to 25 – 5,000 m.
According to the specifications provide by the Indian army to the DRDO for the development of the new air defense missile system, the Army asked the research agency to produce a better system than the products offered by the foreign manufacturers.
In the previous plan, India has requested the supply of three regiments for urgent operational requirements for the Indian Land Forces, but DRDO has offered to produce equipment for five regiments under the “Make in India” program.
DRDO has confirmed its capacity to develop a new missile able to flight at a speed of 700 to 800m/sec. The radar developed for the new air defense missile system will have more capabilities and an extended range than the foreign proposal.
According to the India Today newspaper website, Indian army looks to acquire a new air defense systems offering better performances than foreign products. The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) of India has accepted to develop a new type of air defense missile system.
The Indian army would like to acquire new missile systems to equip eight regiments of Quick Reaction-Surface to Air Missiles. According to the needs of the army, the new missile should have the ability to destroy aerial target at a maximum range of 20 km. The goal of the Indian Army is to replace the old Soviet-made SA-8 OSA-AK which was developed 40 years ago.
The SA-8 is a Soviet-made mobile air defense using a 6×6 truck chassis designated BAZ-5937. SA-8 Gecko is armed with 6 missiles ready to fire, mounted on the roof of the vehicle. Missile is tracked by radio-command guiding system. Engagement range for the SA-8 Gecko missile is approximately 2–9 km and engagement altitudes of between 50–5000 m. The 9M33M2 “Osa-A” missile extends the ranges out to 1,500 – 10,000m and engagement altitudes to 25 – 5,000 m.
According to the specifications provide by the Indian army to the DRDO for the development of the new air defense missile system, the Army asked the research agency to produce a better system than the products offered by the foreign manufacturers.
In the previous plan, India has requested the supply of three regiments for urgent operational requirements for the Indian Land Forces, but DRDO has offered to produce equipment for five regiments under the “Make in India” program.
DRDO has confirmed its capacity to develop a new missile able to flight at a speed of 700 to 800m/sec. The radar developed for the new air defense missile system will have more capabilities and an extended range than the foreign proposal.
How India’s ASTRA Air-To-Air Missile Is Quietly Killing It
Shiv AroorMar 24 2018 3 54 pm
Just before noon on September 14 last year, an 11-foot long missile zoomed off from the wing of an Indian Air Force Su-30 MKI fighter jet about 120 kilometers off India’s east coast. Leaving behind a pulse of purple flame, the Astra careened off into the invisible horizon. Tracked both by the two pilots in the jet, another Su-30 flying some distance away as well as an observation team stationed on a ship in the Bay of Bengal, the Astra roared through thin air over a steady cloud deck over 50 kilometers from the jet that fired it, finally smashing into a bright orange British-built BTT-3 Banshee target drone.
The missile had just been fired for the first time, not with a dummy warhead, but with the kind of warhead that would be used against an actual enemy aircraft. The 15 kilogram warhead, built by the DRDO’s Chandigarh-based Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) is like to have exploded bare feet away from the Banshee, bringing its target down towards the sea in a scattered cloud of debris. Later that day, the same Su-30 jet fired another missile, this time at a range much closer to the missile’s maximum range of 75 kilometers. This time too, the weapon blew effortlessly apart its target.
To be sure, the target wasn’t a twisting, maneouvering human-driven enemy jet, but the two tests conducted in the missile’s ‘combat configuration’ were everything the Indian Air Force wanted to see.
But there was something else in the September tests that had gladdened hearts. Two of the seven Astra missiles tested had undergone a crucial modification. The very heart of their ability to hunt down aircraft in the air, their seeker, had been replaced. The existing Russian Agat 9B1103M active radar seeker used on the Astra had been replaced with an Indian Ku-band seeker developed by the DRDO’s Research Center Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad. While the Indian Air Force has taken on the task of further testing of the Astra as part of a ‘capability discovery’ exercise with the new seeker this year (in coordination with the DRDO), the very fact that it has committed precious financial resources to pre-production units is proof of its pleasure.
Fired for the first time from a modified Su-30 MKI in May 2014, the Astra has battled steady headwinds (unsurprisingly including delays from Russia) to turn the corner and find an unusually pleased customer in the Indian Air Force. Following a rapid-fire spate of seven guided tests last September, topped off with the two ‘combat’ tests described above, the Indian Air Force was persuaded to sign on for 50 pre-production Astra missiles, its healthiest show of confidence in a program that’s still, effectively, in its proving stage.
Speaking exclusively to Livefist, Dr. S. Christopher, Director General of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) said, “The IAF is extremely happy with progress and has ordered 50 versions of the missile we have proven so far in the prototype phase. That’s a big boost to the program even before series production has started.”
The IAF and DRDO have endured more than their share of adversarial flashpoints in a history dotted with bad blood. With the Astra though, the sense of partnership and goodwill has been almost singular — owing mostly to a weapon system that has been speeded through its testing phase, but also because of the manner in which the Astra’s makers are hoping to save time. It has been notoriously difficult in the past for the DRDO to persuade its customers to agree to such a ‘concurrent engineering’ approach, given that the military has traditionally been suspicious of the DRDO’s promises. This time, the IAF has been confident enough to sidestep the phased development approach. For Astra project director Dr S. Venugopal and his team, that’s an enormous show of faith.
“Earlier we would have completed trials and then gone back to the IAF for acceptance of necessity (AoN) and other formalities, which would have taken months if not years,” Christopher said. “There is usually a long back and forth that follows such a process. In the meantime, the energies invested in setting up a production line would have gone to waste.”
Instead, India’s state-owned missile maker Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) has already been enlisted to tool up for the Astra. The idea is that by the time the IAF is ready to place bulk orders for the missile beyond the 50 already contracted, a warm production line would have been progressively debugged and ready to churn out Astras on or ahead of schedule.
“This is to ensure the production line is created quickly so that the final series production Astra comes out without any flaws. The 50 missile order is currently being serviced,” Christopher said.
The Indian Air Force will conduct further tests of the Astra this year and the next as part of a user trial phase before it commits to orders of the final Astra missile. DRDO expects such an order to be in the hundreds, given that the Astra will arm not just the IAF’s Su-30 MKI, but also its upgraded MiG-29s, LCA Tejas and other platforms.
The Indian Air Force’s 36 Rafale fighters that begin deliveries next September will come armed with MBDA Meteor missiles, a weapon system that the Astra seeks to emulate in performance over a period of time. In fact, the DRDO informed India’s Parliament earlier this month that it had formally sanctioned a project to develop the Astra Mk.2 missile, which it hopes will more closely mirror the Meteor’s range and performance qualities.
“There is a long road before the Astra can come anywhere near mirroring the performance qualities of the Meteor, which we have seen in its testing phase in Europe as part our Rafale acquisition. But the Astra has made a very promising start. Moreover, it is almost entirely an Indian weapon system,” a senior IAF officer who deals with the DRDO told Livefist. It has taken a typically hard fight for the Astra to get where it is now. Challenges have included a year’s delay in approvals from Russia for the original seekers (now replaced with Indian ones). The DRDO listed these challenges earlier this month in Parliament:
The Astra has an officially stated range of 75 kilometers. Sanctioned as a project in March 2004 with a budget of just under $150 million (Rs 955 crore), the project missed its completion deadline of February 2013 for a variety of reasons, and now aims to officially wrap everything up by December this year. Crucially, the project team has decided it can complete the task at hand on the Astra Mk.1 without additional funds — a rarity in the pantheon of indigenous development.
The Astra project also involves over 50 public and private firms, leading to consortium of industries building the weapon the system through its final integration line at Bharat Dynamics Ltd in Telangana. Best of all, the systems being proved on the Astra will likely spawn of fully family of air defence weapons from DRDO, all sporting significantly higher indigenous content than in-service systems.
Shiv AroorMar 24 2018 3 54 pm
Just before noon on September 14 last year, an 11-foot long missile zoomed off from the wing of an Indian Air Force Su-30 MKI fighter jet about 120 kilometers off India’s east coast. Leaving behind a pulse of purple flame, the Astra careened off into the invisible horizon. Tracked both by the two pilots in the jet, another Su-30 flying some distance away as well as an observation team stationed on a ship in the Bay of Bengal, the Astra roared through thin air over a steady cloud deck over 50 kilometers from the jet that fired it, finally smashing into a bright orange British-built BTT-3 Banshee target drone.
The missile had just been fired for the first time, not with a dummy warhead, but with the kind of warhead that would be used against an actual enemy aircraft. The 15 kilogram warhead, built by the DRDO’s Chandigarh-based Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) is like to have exploded bare feet away from the Banshee, bringing its target down towards the sea in a scattered cloud of debris. Later that day, the same Su-30 jet fired another missile, this time at a range much closer to the missile’s maximum range of 75 kilometers. This time too, the weapon blew effortlessly apart its target.
To be sure, the target wasn’t a twisting, maneouvering human-driven enemy jet, but the two tests conducted in the missile’s ‘combat configuration’ were everything the Indian Air Force wanted to see.
But there was something else in the September tests that had gladdened hearts. Two of the seven Astra missiles tested had undergone a crucial modification. The very heart of their ability to hunt down aircraft in the air, their seeker, had been replaced. The existing Russian Agat 9B1103M active radar seeker used on the Astra had been replaced with an Indian Ku-band seeker developed by the DRDO’s Research Center Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad. While the Indian Air Force has taken on the task of further testing of the Astra as part of a ‘capability discovery’ exercise with the new seeker this year (in coordination with the DRDO), the very fact that it has committed precious financial resources to pre-production units is proof of its pleasure.
Fired for the first time from a modified Su-30 MKI in May 2014, the Astra has battled steady headwinds (unsurprisingly including delays from Russia) to turn the corner and find an unusually pleased customer in the Indian Air Force. Following a rapid-fire spate of seven guided tests last September, topped off with the two ‘combat’ tests described above, the Indian Air Force was persuaded to sign on for 50 pre-production Astra missiles, its healthiest show of confidence in a program that’s still, effectively, in its proving stage.
Speaking exclusively to Livefist, Dr. S. Christopher, Director General of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) said, “The IAF is extremely happy with progress and has ordered 50 versions of the missile we have proven so far in the prototype phase. That’s a big boost to the program even before series production has started.”
The IAF and DRDO have endured more than their share of adversarial flashpoints in a history dotted with bad blood. With the Astra though, the sense of partnership and goodwill has been almost singular — owing mostly to a weapon system that has been speeded through its testing phase, but also because of the manner in which the Astra’s makers are hoping to save time. It has been notoriously difficult in the past for the DRDO to persuade its customers to agree to such a ‘concurrent engineering’ approach, given that the military has traditionally been suspicious of the DRDO’s promises. This time, the IAF has been confident enough to sidestep the phased development approach. For Astra project director Dr S. Venugopal and his team, that’s an enormous show of faith.
“Earlier we would have completed trials and then gone back to the IAF for acceptance of necessity (AoN) and other formalities, which would have taken months if not years,” Christopher said. “There is usually a long back and forth that follows such a process. In the meantime, the energies invested in setting up a production line would have gone to waste.”
Instead, India’s state-owned missile maker Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) has already been enlisted to tool up for the Astra. The idea is that by the time the IAF is ready to place bulk orders for the missile beyond the 50 already contracted, a warm production line would have been progressively debugged and ready to churn out Astras on or ahead of schedule.
“This is to ensure the production line is created quickly so that the final series production Astra comes out without any flaws. The 50 missile order is currently being serviced,” Christopher said.
The Indian Air Force will conduct further tests of the Astra this year and the next as part of a user trial phase before it commits to orders of the final Astra missile. DRDO expects such an order to be in the hundreds, given that the Astra will arm not just the IAF’s Su-30 MKI, but also its upgraded MiG-29s, LCA Tejas and other platforms.
The Indian Air Force’s 36 Rafale fighters that begin deliveries next September will come armed with MBDA Meteor missiles, a weapon system that the Astra seeks to emulate in performance over a period of time. In fact, the DRDO informed India’s Parliament earlier this month that it had formally sanctioned a project to develop the Astra Mk.2 missile, which it hopes will more closely mirror the Meteor’s range and performance qualities.
“There is a long road before the Astra can come anywhere near mirroring the performance qualities of the Meteor, which we have seen in its testing phase in Europe as part our Rafale acquisition. But the Astra has made a very promising start. Moreover, it is almost entirely an Indian weapon system,” a senior IAF officer who deals with the DRDO told Livefist. It has taken a typically hard fight for the Astra to get where it is now. Challenges have included a year’s delay in approvals from Russia for the original seekers (now replaced with Indian ones). The DRDO listed these challenges earlier this month in Parliament:
The Astra has an officially stated range of 75 kilometers. Sanctioned as a project in March 2004 with a budget of just under $150 million (Rs 955 crore), the project missed its completion deadline of February 2013 for a variety of reasons, and now aims to officially wrap everything up by December this year. Crucially, the project team has decided it can complete the task at hand on the Astra Mk.1 without additional funds — a rarity in the pantheon of indigenous development.
The Astra project also involves over 50 public and private firms, leading to consortium of industries building the weapon the system through its final integration line at Bharat Dynamics Ltd in Telangana. Best of all, the systems being proved on the Astra will likely spawn of fully family of air defence weapons from DRDO, all sporting significantly higher indigenous content than in-service systems.
India orders additional Barak-1 short-range SAMs
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has contracted Israel Aerospace Industries/Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to supply additional Barak-1 short-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).
The contract, which is valued at INR4.6 billion (USD70.5 million), will see 131 Barak-1 shipborne, point defence missiles delivered to the Indian Navy (IN), the MoD announced in a 20 March statement. The acquisition had been cleared by the ministry in January.
In April 2017 the MoD's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had also cleared the import of 100 Barak-1 SR-SAMs worth INR5 billion for the IN, but it is believed that no contract was signed thereafter. Prior to that, in October 2014, the MoD had signed a contract to acquire Barak-1s for the service for INR8.75 billion.
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has contracted Israel Aerospace Industries/Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to supply additional Barak-1 short-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).
The contract, which is valued at INR4.6 billion (USD70.5 million), will see 131 Barak-1 shipborne, point defence missiles delivered to the Indian Navy (IN), the MoD announced in a 20 March statement. The acquisition had been cleared by the ministry in January.
In April 2017 the MoD's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had also cleared the import of 100 Barak-1 SR-SAMs worth INR5 billion for the IN, but it is believed that no contract was signed thereafter. Prior to that, in October 2014, the MoD had signed a contract to acquire Barak-1s for the service for INR8.75 billion.
India ready to transfer crucial anti-tank missile technology to private industry
BENGALURU: In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s privatisation in defence sector policy, India is now ready to transfer crucial technology of its third generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) ‘Nag’ to private industry.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already kick-started initial activities relating to Transfer of Technology (ToT) for both ‘Nag’ and ‘Nag Missile Carrier (Namica)’, but public sector units like Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) are not completely out of the race yet.
A senior DRDO official confirmed to TOI that the agency is preparing documents for the ToT. “The thought process is there and we are working on the nuances,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Nag, with a range of about four kilometres, is an all-weather “fire-and-forget” ATGM, while Namica is equipped with retractable armoured launchers. It contains launchers and a guidance package, including thermal imager for target locking.
On whether the industry has the capability to build a complete missile system, the official said that right now the Indian industry is yet to display full capabilities. “But we have had proposals that have come in, and we are discussing various options,” the official said.
Industry Proposals
The Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), however, argues that the industry will be able to successfully produce missiles so long as there is commitment from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Industries like Baba Kalyani Group, Mahindra, Reliance and L&T have already submitted proposals to the ministry based on an earlier expression of interest (EoI) and request for information (RFI) for the Arjun tank (BMP-II). However, nothing has moved forward so far, and the industry is now cautiously hopeful.
Col HS Shankar (retd), an executive member of SIDM said: “We have the capability and had expressed interest as part of earlier RFIs and EoIs as you know. The DGMF (Directorate General of Mechanised Forces) and the Army for upgradation of BMP-II (Arjun) earlier had included that industry must produce up-to-date state-of-the-art ground-to-ground missiles. But none of the proposals had got the desired response.”
PPP Model?
Shankar further said that the DRDO has already been using several private companies for the development of Nag and that it won’t be a completely new area for the industry.
“From where I see it, I think there will be a combination of public and private participation. The selected private industry may partner with BDL and produce the missile indigenously. But it is a bit premature to speculate anything now,” Shankar added.
BENGALURU: In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s privatisation in defence sector policy, India is now ready to transfer crucial technology of its third generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) ‘Nag’ to private industry.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already kick-started initial activities relating to Transfer of Technology (ToT) for both ‘Nag’ and ‘Nag Missile Carrier (Namica)’, but public sector units like Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) are not completely out of the race yet.
A senior DRDO official confirmed to TOI that the agency is preparing documents for the ToT. “The thought process is there and we are working on the nuances,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Nag, with a range of about four kilometres, is an all-weather “fire-and-forget” ATGM, while Namica is equipped with retractable armoured launchers. It contains launchers and a guidance package, including thermal imager for target locking.
On whether the industry has the capability to build a complete missile system, the official said that right now the Indian industry is yet to display full capabilities. “But we have had proposals that have come in, and we are discussing various options,” the official said.
Industry Proposals
The Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), however, argues that the industry will be able to successfully produce missiles so long as there is commitment from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Industries like Baba Kalyani Group, Mahindra, Reliance and L&T have already submitted proposals to the ministry based on an earlier expression of interest (EoI) and request for information (RFI) for the Arjun tank (BMP-II). However, nothing has moved forward so far, and the industry is now cautiously hopeful.
Col HS Shankar (retd), an executive member of SIDM said: “We have the capability and had expressed interest as part of earlier RFIs and EoIs as you know. The DGMF (Directorate General of Mechanised Forces) and the Army for upgradation of BMP-II (Arjun) earlier had included that industry must produce up-to-date state-of-the-art ground-to-ground missiles. But none of the proposals had got the desired response.”
PPP Model?
Shankar further said that the DRDO has already been using several private companies for the development of Nag and that it won’t be a completely new area for the industry.
“From where I see it, I think there will be a combination of public and private participation. The selected private industry may partner with BDL and produce the missile indigenously. But it is a bit premature to speculate anything now,” Shankar added.
I thought OFB and BDL was partnered for NAMICA. VEM tech and BDL are already there for MPATGM, Kalyani for Spike (i hope they won't get any orders or participation on other ATGM programmes). L&T looks cool.
The final integrator will still be DPSU. More parts will be made by SMBs.
Another setback for Indian missile programme, snag hits quick reaction missile test again
QRSAM tested at Balasore rolled uncontrollably, fell into the Bay of Bengal Monday. This is at least the second failure for the missile in four tests.
New Delhi: India’s missile development programme is going through a rough patch, with another snag hitting the home-made quick reaction surface-to-air missile (QRSAM) during tests at the Balasore range in Odisha Monday.
The QRSAM system, being developed as an add-on to the Akash air defence missiles that are already in service with the Army and Air Force, has now undergone four tests, of which at least two have been unsuccessful.
Sources said during the latest test, the missile took off from its launcher successfully, but rolled uncontrollably during flight before ditching into the Bay of Bengal. The missile is being developed by DRDO’s Hyderabad missile complex, and top officials were present at the test site during the trial.
It is learnt that the DRDO leadership team on missile systems is studying the failure and is trying to find the root cause of the problem. Previous trials of the missile were conducted in June, July and December last year.
As reported by ThePrint, during the 22 December test, the missile hit turbulence within 1.5 seconds of taking off, as an actuator did not respond to a software command. The QRSAM is supposed to take down fast moving incoming air targets like missiles and fighter jets at extremely short notice.
India has been planning to showcase the Akash as a Made in India missile that is available for exports. In fact, the missile is being showcased at the Defence Expo near Chennai this week to possible customers who will be visiting the show. In addition, the Indo-Russian Brahmos missile is also being displayed at the India pavilion during the event, as an export option to friendly foreign nations.
The QRSAM is a recent DRDO project that was undertaken to meet demands of both the Air Force and the Army. The services had requested for imports to meet urgent requirements for air defence missiles, which were turned down after DRDO assured that it could develop the system indigenously.
QRSAM tested at Balasore rolled uncontrollably, fell into the Bay of Bengal Monday. This is at least the second failure for the missile in four tests.
New Delhi: India’s missile development programme is going through a rough patch, with another snag hitting the home-made quick reaction surface-to-air missile (QRSAM) during tests at the Balasore range in Odisha Monday.
The QRSAM system, being developed as an add-on to the Akash air defence missiles that are already in service with the Army and Air Force, has now undergone four tests, of which at least two have been unsuccessful.
Sources said during the latest test, the missile took off from its launcher successfully, but rolled uncontrollably during flight before ditching into the Bay of Bengal. The missile is being developed by DRDO’s Hyderabad missile complex, and top officials were present at the test site during the trial.
It is learnt that the DRDO leadership team on missile systems is studying the failure and is trying to find the root cause of the problem. Previous trials of the missile were conducted in June, July and December last year.
As reported by ThePrint, during the 22 December test, the missile hit turbulence within 1.5 seconds of taking off, as an actuator did not respond to a software command. The QRSAM is supposed to take down fast moving incoming air targets like missiles and fighter jets at extremely short notice.
India has been planning to showcase the Akash as a Made in India missile that is available for exports. In fact, the missile is being showcased at the Defence Expo near Chennai this week to possible customers who will be visiting the show. In addition, the Indo-Russian Brahmos missile is also being displayed at the India pavilion during the event, as an export option to friendly foreign nations.
The QRSAM is a recent DRDO project that was undertaken to meet demands of both the Air Force and the Army. The services had requested for imports to meet urgent requirements for air defence missiles, which were turned down after DRDO assured that it could develop the system indigenously.
